America, Kurdistan Region are deepening cooperation, says APIKUR spox

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Myles B. Caggins III, the spokesperson for the Association of Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR), on Tuesday told Kurdistan24 that “America and the Kurdistan Region are deepening cooperation on security but also cultural ties.”

‘This is an important visit for Prime Minister [Masrour] Barzani at this time so he can raise the issues on behalf of the Kurdistan region government (KRG) directly to leaders in Washington DC,” the spokesperson said.

Caggins III also revealed that he met with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

The Prime Minister emphasized that he wants the Kurdistan region to be protected and he is informing Washington DC leaders that he wants to have air and missile defense systems to protect against attacks from Iran and other neighboring countries. He wants a budget to be resolved and said that we should not have the salaries of civil servants used as a bargaining chip or as a political weapon for the budget. The Prime Minister [also] wants the full resumption of oil production and exports to raise more money for the Kurdistan region and Iraq,” he stated.

Furthermore, the APIKUR spokesperson stressed that the visit of Premier Barzani to the US increases the awareness of Americans about the Kurdistan region.

“Americans need to be educated that the Kurdistan region and Kurdish culture and language are different from the central and southern parts of Iraq,” he stressed.

Prime Minister Barzani on Feb. 25, arrived in Washington D.C. and met with senior US officials including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Read More: U.S, KRG Hail ‘Long Partnership,’ as Blinken, Barzani Meet